My top ten wild camps of 2019
Ten of the best from the mountains of Scotland and the Pyrenees As I mentioned in my year in review, I spent a total of 67 nights under…
Tag: backpacking
Skills guide: Planning off-path routes
If your hillwalking has mainly been confined to the Peak District or Lakes, it can be daunting to visit a wilder area where there are fewer footpaths. For…
Chased by Storms: 113 miles along the Haute Route Pyrenees and GR11 in 2016
Three long-distance routes traverse the Pyrenees: the GR10, GR11 and, most challenging of all, the Pyrenean Haute Route. In 2016, on the hunt for mountains and summer sun,…
News: Cape Wrath Trail features published
There’s plenty to read about my February Cape Wrath Trail in TGO magazine this month. In my last blog post about the CWT, I promised that more detailed…
The Cape Wrath Trail(ish) in winter(ish) – a very brief account
In February 2019, I hiked 299 miles from Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath, the north-westernmost point of mainland Britain, mostly following the Cape Wrath Trail. Here’s how it…
The winter Cape Wrath Trail gear list
After months of preparation, I have a near-final gear list for next month’s winter Cape Wrath Trail attempt. Here are a few thoughts on the gear I’ve selected…
The Cape Wrath Trail in winter: seeking silence in the Scottish Highlands
Time to announce my big winter project for early 2019. More: Gear list on Lighterpack Why go offline – and how? Resupply plan It’s time to talk about…
The Alder Trail
Alex Roddie answers the call of Ben Alder’s wildness in this ambitious long-distance trail between Fort William and Aviemore. This feature was first published in Trail magazine, November…
My review of ‘Along the Divide’ by Chris Townsend in the latest issue of TGO
In the October 2018 issue of The Great Outdoors, I review Along the Divide: Walking the Wild Spine of Scotland by Chris Townsend. This is an excellent book,…
Field notes: Hiking the Jotunheimstien, Norway
A long walk in the woods In July 2017, I stepped outside the train station in Oslo city centre and directly onto a long-distance trail. 205 miles later,…
Photography on the Trail
You don’t need a ton of gear to create meaningful images on a long-distance trail. Sometimes an agile approach can be best. This feature was first published in…
Mercantour Traverse gear debrief
Ultralight gear choices in the high Alpine